SBS has defended its decision not to adopt a controversial but widely used definition of anti-Semitism while revealing it poured more resources into its Hebrew language service after terror attacks in 2023.
The broadcaster’s role was to shine a light on racism, discrimination and prejudice in all its forms, SBS director of news and current affairs Amanda Wicks said, defining anti-Semitism as prejudice or discrimination against Jewish people.
Ms Wicks’ comments were made at the royal commission into anti-Semitism, which is investigating the role of public broadcasters including SBS and the ABC in promoting social cohesion.
Under repeated questioning, Ms Wicks said the broadcaster did not need a concrete definition as it relied on the police, Australia’s legal system and the broader community to determine when an incident was anti-Semitic.
“We are attributing that to someone else. We’re never in a position where something happens and we will need a definition,” she said.
Some Jewish groups have criticised SBS and the ABC for not adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.
While the definition is widely used, including by the royal commission, some critics argue it could classify legitimate criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic.
Anti-Semitism Envoy Jillian Segal earlier said she had a “great deal of difficulty” understanding why the broadcasters did not use the definition.
“It doesn’t stop criticism of Israel, it doesn’t stop debate, it just gives guides,” she said on Thursday.
Ms Wicks said SBS would never need to determine whether something was anti-Semitic on its own, so it did not have to accept or reject the IHRA definition.
“But we do absolutely need a knowledge and understanding (of) what anti-Semitism is,” she said.
ABC news director Gavin Fang said his organisation had not adopted the definition because of its contested nature.
SBS, which has a remit to provide content for multicultural Australia, also revealed it had increased the resources for its Hebrew language service after Hamas’s October 7 terror attacks against Israel.
Funding for broadcasting services was based on the number of people who spoke the language, with about 11,000 people in Australia speaking Hebrew, the director of audio and language content David Thanh Man Tue Hua told the inquiry.
The existing part-time executive producer was given the equivalent of one more full-time employee after the attack, Mr Hua said.
After the Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14, 2025, the part-time executive producer was bumped up to full-time, he said.
The final witnesses from social and mass media providers will front the royal commission on Friday, before universities are questioned next week.
Officials from LinkedIn and the Australian Communications and Media Authority are due to give evidence.
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